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We are very excited about our progress and are looking forward to seeing some of the amazing designs our backers will create.

Most of the manuals needed for the upcoming partial release are complete, and some last minute features and libraries have been included.

We are also creating a professional version and are honored to announce that the 'Theme Park Studio Professional Edition' is scheduled for use in 2014 by Intamin Amusement Rides to showcase their newest coaster designs

We have some additional great news to report. Valve will be carrying Theme Park Studio on Steam! Not only will this make the Beta program a very streamlined process, but it will allow us to continue adding features and expand the product. A full development road map has been outlined on the Early Access page.

Steam keys have been ordered and will be emailed over the next couple weeks. Of course Platinum backers will still receive their boxed edition with printed manual when the title is complete.

Through Early Access, backers can not only supply bug reports, but can request new features and provide feedback. There is amazing potential to take the Theme Park Studio even further than originally planned. We are looking forward to working with you to make Theme Park Studio the ultimate theme park simulator.

Finally, here is a set of new screenshots taken during our focus group testing.

We just wanted to drop a quick note. We hope everyone had a great Christmas and happy new year. We worked through most of Christmas break, as we work towards our early edition release. Many items from our checklist have been completed. We will provide another update after we see how the next week or two progress, along with our focus group testing results. So far though, everything is looking good.

We did some recent stress testing, along with one click scene import tests. Everything worked great. You can check out the screens here:

The past couple weeks have been spent polishing and refining. For the most part, we have put a freeze on new features in order to focus on getting a build together for our backers. Much of our time has been spent testing, working on intuitive controls, and creating new helper functions that make the construction process as easy as possible. Our goal has been to not only provide a powerful set of tools, but to provide an easy to use environment that will make the title accessible to enthusiasts and casual gamers.

Over the next couple weeks we will continue to polish until the focus group testing shows it is ready for the 'Early Edition' release. We are pushing for late December, but it is still hard to say for sure. As mentioned in the last update, it could get bumped to January. One thing is for sure, when we do release, the build needs to be solid and our focus testing will determine that state. Going the extra mile is more important to ensure a successful launch. Please keep in mind, as we mentioned in the last update, the 'Early Edition' is only a partial release to give our backers a build they can use to start creating environments, importing assets, etc.... Additional modules like coaster construction and flat ride animators will be released in phases as modules are polished. Final gold master release is still scheduled for next year, with the exact date collectively determined by our backers through our 'Early Edition' program..... coming very soon!!
In the meantime, here are some custom ride requests we have fulfilled as part of our Kickstarter rewards.

Just a quick update. As we move closer to our 'Early Edition' launch we will be providing more frequent updates on the product's status. Right now we are working 6 days a week to produce the best product possible.

Through our focus group meeting, and discussions with Alpha testers, we have decided it is important to restructure the UI to make it more accessible to all audiences. With all the power and extensive customization features Theme Park Studio offers, presets and helper functions have become increasingly necessary.

We are still targeting April 2014, however the 'Early Edition' may get bumped a little. It is hard to tell right now, but we will keep you posted. Theme Park Studio is our most ambitious product to date and, with all the time and sweat invested, we want to make sure our launch is successful. If team members decide it is in the best interest of the product to make changes, allowances must be taken to deliver the best product possible. Even if it costs us extra work, time, and money. Some truly awesome distribution opportunities have opened for us, and we are very excited about what lies ahead.

Also, we recently added yet another new feature. Flat ride animations will now be easier than ever. You still have the option to use the 'Keyframer', but we will introduce some new tech that should make the animation process accessible to all audiences. More details will be forthcoming.

Meanwhile, here is a new video that presents a quick overview of the Custom Train Module we discussed in our last update.

Much has happened since our last update. As most of you know, we finished a new custom train module. This was an unplanned feature that we recently added to our feature list. Below is a video demonstration. It also demonstrates other features like custom camera fly throughs, rail shaping, on the fly rail type and color modification, utilization of existing community custom scenery, custom train colors, and terrain texture blending,

The video also shows areas that are still incomplete. This includes steel and wood support welds, shadow fixes, POV camera adjustment, and creating features that insulate beginners and casual gamers from some of the advanced features, so they can enjoy a simple drop and play experience.

We also recently had our first focus group meeting with top tier backers. We walked through the features currently in place, and discussed how we could further improve the product. There are still a lot of items left on our plate. With new features recently added, new features planned, plus remaining tasks, we need to do another push back on the final release to April 2014. A finished beta will also need to be pushed back respectively.

However, we understand there is a lot of enthusiasm from our backers so we will be opening up an early edition program. All backers that qualify for beta are welcome to participate, which covers 90 percent of our backers. We just ask for 1 extra month to cleanup and polish. This means we are looking at mid December to get something into our backers' hands that will allow them to start building and exchanging assets. However, it will still be considered 'in development', with additional features left to implement. Backers are free to participate in the development process by not only submitting bug reports, but feature requests as well. Patches will be frequent and TOGETHER we will decide when the product is finished and ready for retail distribution. Again this is set for mid December, and definitely by Christmas!!

Finally, our newly formed alpha team will soon start creating additional videos, writing documentation, and recording video tutorials. This frees up resources from development, which is basically working overtime every week to produce the best product possible. This means video updates and tutorials will be coming soon, to prepare you for mid December.

Thank you all for backing us, and together, helping make Theme Park Studio the ultimate theme park simulator!